U.S. patent number 5,782,525 [Application Number 08/795,865] was granted by the patent office on 1998-07-21 for body structure for motor vehicle.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha. Invention is credited to Masayuki Honma, Toshio Masuda.
United States Patent |
5,782,525 |
Honma , et al. |
July 21, 1998 |
Body structure for motor vehicle
Abstract
A side body structure of a motor vehicle includes a first and
second crash boxes at the connecting portion of a side sill and a
rear wheel arch. The first crash box is provided outside of a side
sill reinforcement and the second crash box is inside the side sill
reinforcement. The second crash box is connected with a cross
member extended in a transversal direction of the vehicle. In the
event of a side impact, first the first crash box collapses and
then the second crash box does. Finally, the impact energy is
transferred to and absorbed by other body structures through the
cross member. The side sill portion and the rear wheel arch portion
can be prevented from intruding into a rear compartment so as to
save passengers from serious injury.
Inventors: |
Honma; Masayuki (Ora,
JP), Masuda; Toshio (Ashikaga, JP) |
Assignee: |
Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
(Tokyo, JP)
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Family
ID: |
16908291 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/795,865 |
Filed: |
February 6, 1997 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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510532 |
Aug 2, 1995 |
5641194 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Aug 31, 1994 [JP] |
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6-230467 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
296/187.12;
296/203.04; 296/209 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62D
21/157 (20130101); B62D 25/2036 (20130101); B62D
25/025 (20130101); B62D 25/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B62D
25/20 (20060101); B62D 21/15 (20060101); B62D
025/20 () |
Field of
Search: |
;296/188,189,204,203,209 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1800778 |
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Oct 1970 |
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DE |
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3119666A1 |
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Jan 1982 |
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DE |
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62-39375 |
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Feb 1987 |
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JP |
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62-125956 |
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Jun 1987 |
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JP |
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62-258868 |
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Nov 1987 |
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JP |
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2-283578 |
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Nov 1990 |
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JP |
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4-215574 |
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Aug 1992 |
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JP |
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5-185960 |
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Jul 1993 |
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JP |
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6-211164 |
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Aug 1994 |
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JP |
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6-263062 |
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Sep 1996 |
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JP |
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1356112 |
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Jun 1974 |
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GB |
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Other References
Abstract of Japanese Patent 6-270845 translated in English dated
Sep. 1994. .
Abstract of Japanese Patent 2-141372 translated in English dated
May 1990. .
Abstract of Japanese Patent 6-211167 translated in English dated
Aug. 1994. .
Abstract of Japanese Patent 60-259577 translated in English dated
Dec. 1985. .
Abstract of Japanese Patent 5-97057 translated in English dated
Apr. 1993..
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Primary Examiner: Pedder; Dennis H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Beveridge, DeGrandi, Weilacher
& Young, LLP
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/510,532 filed on
Aug. 2, 1995 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,194.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A body structure of a motor vehicle having a side sill including
a side sill inner panel, a side sill outer panel and a side sill
reinforcement provided between said side sill inner panel and said
side sill outer panel, a rear floor and a rear wheel arch,
comprising:
a first crash box reinforcement including a U-shaped cross section
and provided outside of said side sill reinforcement;
a first crash box having a closed cross section formed by said
first crash box reinforcement and by said side sill reinforcement,
and secured to said side sill and to said rear wheel arch so as to
connect said side sill and said rear wheel arch;
a second crash box having a closed cross section formed by said
side sill inner panel and by said side sill reinforcement, and
located on the opposite side of said first crash box with respect
to said side sill reinforcement and abutting said rear floor.
2. A body structure of a motor vehicle having a side sill including
a side sill inner panel, a side sill outer panel and a side sill
reinforcement provided between said side sill inner panel and said
side sill outer panel, a rear floor and a rear wheel arch,
comprising:
a first crash box reinforcement including a U-shaped cross section
and provided outside of said side sill reinforcement;
a first crash box having a closed cross section formed by said
first crash box reinforcement and by said side sill reinforcement
and secured to said side sill and to said rear wheel arch so as to
connect said side sill and said rear wheel arch;
a second crash box having a closed cross section formed by said
side sill inner panel and by said side sill reinforcement, and
located on the opposite side of said first crash box with respect
to said side sill reinforcement and abutting said rear floor;
and
a beam member provided on said rear floor in a transversal
direction of said vehicle and connected at an outside end thereof
with said side sill inner panel and with said second crash box.
3. The body structure according to claim 2, wherein said beam
member has a closed cross section formed by at least one U-shaped
channel and said rear floor and is formed such that it is
relatively low in height at the middle portion thereof and is
relatively high in height and relatively broad in width at the
outside end thereof.
4. The body structure according to claim 2, wherein said beam
member is secured to a rising face of a seat riser so as to form a
closed cross section, and said beam member has a rear arch holder
member integrally formed with said cross member at the outside end
thereof and connected to an inside face of said second crash box
such that said rear arch holder member extends rearward and upward
toward said rear wheel arch and is attached to said second crash
box.
5. A vehicle body structure having a rear floor for covering a rear
structure of said vehicle body structure thereunder, a side sill
provided at both sides of said rear floor to extend in a
longitudinal direction from a front portion to said rear structure
thereof, and a rear wheel arch provided to form a passenger
compartment and connected to said side sill, comprising:
a crash box with a closed cross-sectional configuration formed at a
connecting position of said side sill and said rear wheel arch, and
nested within and rising above said side sill; and
a beam member mounted on said rear floor, said beam member has a
pair of opposite ends, each of said ends is attached to an inner
side of said crash box at an end thereof so as to prevent said
crash box from intruding into said passenger compartment when a
side impact occurs.
6. The body structure according to claim 5, wherein
said beam member has a closed cross section formed by at least one
U-shaped channel and said rear floor; and
said beam member is formed such that it slopes upward and extends
rearward and forward from the middle portion to the outside end as
said beam member is contoured to a top surface of said rear
floor.
7. The vehicle body structure according to claim 5, wherein
said beam member has a hat-shaped cross section in a lateral
direction of said vehicle body structure and forms a closed cross
sectional configuration with said rear floor;
said beam member has an inclined upper surface in said lateral
direction of said vehicle body structure; and
said inclined upper surface has a higher height at an outside
position than that of an inside position.
8. The vehicle body structure according to claim 5, wherein
said beam member is integrally formed by a cross member in parallel
with a laterally extending rear arch beam member.
9. The vehicle body structure according to claim 5, wherein
said crash box has a U-shape outer wall that is within a side sill
outer panel.
10. A vehicle body structure having a rear floor for covering a
rear structure of said vehicle body structure thereunder, a side
sill provided at both sides of said rear floor to extend in a
longitudinal direction from a front portion to said rear structure
thereof, and a rear wheel arch provided to form a passenger
compartment and connected to said side sill, comprising:
an outer crash box with a closed cross-sectional configuration
formed at a connecting position of said side sill and said rear
wheel arch, said outer crash box is nested within said side sill,
and said outer crash box rises from said side sill abutting said
rear wheel arch; and
an inner crash box with a closed cross-sectional configuration
formed on an inside surface of said outer crash box so as to
prevent said outer crash box from intruding into said passenger
compartment when a side impact occurs.
11. The vehicle body structure according to claim 10, wherein
said outer crash box has a U-shape outer wall that is within a side
sill outer panel.
12. The vehicle body structure according to claim 10, wherein
a beam member is mounted on said rear floor for abutting on said
inner crash box at said end thereof so as to prevent said crash box
from intruding into said passenger compartment when a side impact
occurs.
13. The vehicle body structure according to claim 12, wherein
said beam member is integrally formed by a cross member in parallel
with a laterally extending rear arch beam member.
14. The vehicle body structure according to claim 12, wherein
said beam member has a closed cross section formed by at least one
U-shaped channel and said rear floor.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a body structure of a motor
vehicle and particularly to a side body structure in the vicinity
of a rear side sill and of a rear wheel arch.
2. Prior Art
Generally, in motor vehicles, a rear wheel arch portion (rear wheel
house) is constituted by a rear wheel arch inner panel and a rear
wheel apron connected therewith from inside. Further, the rear
wheel arch portion is connected at the front end of the wheel arch
inner panel with the rear end of a side sill extended in a
lengthwise direction of the vehicle. Further, the rear wheel arch
inner panel is connected at a flange portion thereof with a side
outer panel. There are several proposed techniques for raising the
strength of the connecting point of the front end of the wheel arch
inner panel and the rear end of the side sill. For example,
Japanese Utility Model Application No. Jitsu-Kai-Hei 1-27992
discloses a side body structure in which a gusset is fixed to the
connecting portion of the front end of the wheel arch inner panel
and the rear end of the side panel.
In the event of a side impact, generally, since the vehicle gets
damages on the whole side face of the vehicle body, it is necessary
that the rear side face including the area from the rear part of
the side sill to the rear wheel arch portion also has an effective
energy absorption structure similar to those of a front pillar and
a center pillar.
The side body structure having a gusset at the connecting point of
the side sill and the rear wheel arch, as disclosed in the above
prior art, is insufficient from the aspect of energy absorption,
because in the event of a side impact the area of the connecting
point including the gusset, the side sill portion and the rear
wheel arch portion are protruded into the rear passenger
compartment. As a result the passenger is likely to be seriously
injured.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is intended to obviate the disadvantage of
the prior art and it is summarized as follows.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a side body
structure capable of preventing the side sill portion and the rear
wheel arch portion from intruding into a rear passenger compartment
in an event of the side impact.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a side
body structure by which a side impact energy can be absorbed
effectively and dispersed broadly to other body structures.
A side body structure of a motor vehicle according to the present
invention has a side sill comprising a side sill inner panel, a
side sill outer panel and a side sill reinforcement provided
between the side sill inner panel and the side sill outer panel.
The side body structure also includes a rear floor and a rear wheel
arch.
The side body structure according to the first embodiment of the
present invention includes the following:
a crash box reinforcement that has a U-shaped cross section and
located outside of the side sill reinforcement;
a crash box that has a closed cross section formed by the side
crash box reinforcement and by the side sill reinforcement, located
outside of the side sill reinforcement, and secured to the side
sill and to the rear wheel arch so as to connect the side sill and
the rear wheel arch; and
a beam member mounted on the rear floor in a transversal direction
of the vehicle and connected at an outside end thereof with the
side sill and with the crash box.
Further, the side body structure according to the second embodiment
of the present invention includes the following:
a first crash box reinforcement with a U-shaped cross section and
located outside of said side sill reinforcement;
a first crash box having a closed cross section formed by the first
crash box reinforcement and by the side sill reinforcement and
secured to the side sill and to the rear wheel arch so as to
connect the side sill and the rear wheel arch;
a second crash box reinforcement having a U-shaped cross section
and located inside of the side sill reinforcement;
a second crash box having a closed cross section formed by the
second crash box reinforcement and by the side sill reinforcement
and located on the opposite side of the first crash box with
respect to the side sill reinforcement, and connected with the rear
floor.
Furthermore, the side body structure according to the third
embodiment of the present invention includes in addition to the
second aspect:
a beam member provided on the rear floor in a transversal direction
of the vehicle and connected at an outside end thereof with the
side sill and with the second crash box.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A specific embodiment according to the present invention will be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1a is a perspective view from inside of a vehicle of the first
embodiment showing a connecting portion of a side sill and a rear
wheel;
FIG. 1b is a perspective view from outside of a vehicle of the
first embodiment showing a connecting portion of a side sill and a
rear wheel arch;
FIG. 1c is a cross sectional view of a 1c--1c section in FIG.
1b;
FIG. 2a is a perspective view from inside of a vehicle of the
second embodiment showing a connecting portion of a side sill and a
rear wheel arch;
FIG. 2b is a cross sectional view of a 2b-2b section in FIG. 2a
FIG. 3a is a perspective view from inside of a vehicle of the a
third embodiment showing a connecting portion of a side sill and
rear wheel arch;
FIG. 3b is a cross sectional view of a 3b-3b section in FIG. 3a;
and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view from inside of a vehicle of the third
embodiment showing a beam member and others.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments according to the present invention will be described in
detail by referring to the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to FIG. 1, this shows a first embodiment according to
the present invention, a side sill 1 having a closed cross section
so that it is extended in a lengthwise direction of a vehicle. The
side sill, as is known, is constituted by a side sill inner panel
11, a side sill outer panel 12, and a side sill reinforcement 13.
Further, numeral 2 denotes a rear wheel arch which is constituted
by a rear wheel apron 21 and a rear wheel arch inner panel 22
secured at an inner flange portion thereof to a rear end of the
rear wheel apron 21. The outside of the rear wheel arch inner panel
22 is covered by a side outer panel 3 and the front end thereof is
secured to the rear end of the side sill 1.
Further, the left and right side flange portions of a front floor
40 are secured to the inner face of the left and rear side sills 1.
In the same manner, the Left and right side flange portions of a
rear floor 4 are secured to the rear inner face of the left and
right rear side sills 1 and to the rear inner face of the rear
wheel apron 21.
Numeral 5 denotes a reinforcement having an approximate U-shaped
cross section in its fundamental configuration. The reinforcement
5, as illustrated in FIG. 1b, is secured at the front portion
thereof to the outside face of a side sill reinforcement 13 and at
the rear portion thereof to the rear wheel arch inner panel 22. In
this construction, a crash box 6 having a closed cross section
constituted by the side sill reinforcement 13 and the reinforcement
5 is formed so as to connect the rear portion of the side sill 1
with the rear wheel arch 2. As shown in FIG. 1c, the outside of the
crash box 6 is covered by the side sill outer panel 12 and the side
outer panel 3 and the inside thereof is protruded upwards of the
side sill inner panel 11 and the rear wheel arch inner panel 22 at
the connecting point of the side sill 1 and the rear wheel arch
2.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1c, the above protruding portion of the
crash box 6 is secured by butt-welding on the inside face thereof
to an outer end of a rear arch beam member 7 extended in the
transversal direction of the vehicle. The rear arch beam member 7
is connected by butt-welding at the left and right outside ends
thereof with the side sill inner panel 11, the rear wheel arch
inner panel 22 and the rear wheel apron 21 respectively. As, as
shown in FIG. 1c, the left and right crash box 6, the left and
right side sill 1, and the rear arch beam member 7 are connected
with each other and form a closed cross sectional structure. The
rear arch beam member 7 is constituted such that it is low and thin
at the middle portion thereof and becomes gradually higher and
wider towards the left and right outside end portion thereof.
Further, numeral 8 denotes a rear side flange extended in a
lengthwise direction of the vehicle.
As described above, since the body structure according to the first
embodiment is constructed such that the connecting portion of the
side sill 1 and the rear wheel arch 2 is reinforced by the crash
box 6 and further the crash box 6 is firmly held by the rear arch
beam member 7, the rear portion of the side sill 1 and the rear
wheel arch 2 can be prevented from intruding into the rear
compartment in the case where the vehicle has a side impact.
Namely, first the impact energy is absorbed by the deformation and
collapse of the crash box 6 and then it is transferred and
dispersed broadly to the crash box 6 on the other side and to the
rear floor 4 through the rear arch beam member 7.
Further, in this construction, by means of the closed cross section
formed by the side sill outer panel 12 and the side sill
reinforcement 13 and the crash box 6 connected with this closed
cross section, the rear wheel arch 2 can have an effective energy
absorption capability similar to those of the center pillar and the
front pillar. This is a reasonable body structure fit for small
vehicles whose space is Limited.
Referring to FIGS. 2a and 2b for showing the second embodiment of
the present invention, in this example an inner crash box 6' is
provided at the inner side of the crash box 6 in place of the rear
arch beam member 7. The inner crash box 6' has a closed cross
section formed by an extended portion of the side sill inner panel
11 and the side sill reinforcement 13. Other structures are the
same as those in the first embodiment.
In this second embodiment, in the event of the side impact, since
the inner crash box 6' firmly holds the crash box 6 from the
inside, the impact energy is absorbed by the collapse of the crash
box 6 and then by the collapse of the inner crash box 6'. As a
result, the intrusion speed of the rear door into the rear
compartment is restricted and the impact load is broadly dispersed
to the rear floor 4, the rear wheel apron 21 and other members.
Further, since there is not a large structural member as the rear
arch beam member, a further compact energy absorbing structure can
be achieved.
FIGS. 3a and 3b indicate an example according to the third
embodiment. In this third embodiment, the inner crash box 6' is
provided in addition to the crash box 6 described in the second
embodiment. Further, a cross member 9 is secured to the rising face
4a of a seat riser from the front floor 40 such that it forms a
closed cross section in the transversal direction of the vehicle.
In this embodiment, a rear arch holder 9a integrally formed with
the cross member 9 at the left and right ends thereof is connected
by welding to the inside face of the inner crash box 6' in such a
way that it expands backward and upward and encloses the whole
inner crash box 6' from inside.
As described above, in the third embodiment, since the inner crash
box 6' supports the crash box 6 from the inside and further the
cross member 9 holds the inner cross member 6' from inside through
the rear arch holder 9a, the impact energy is received more
firmly.
FIG. 4 indicates another example of the third embodiment in which a
rear arch beam member 7' having a U-shaped cross section is secured
on the rear floor 4. The rear arch beam member 7' is integrally
formed with the aforementioned cross member 9, that is, in this
embodiment, the cross member 9 comprises a front closed section "a"
with a large sectional area and a rear closed cross section "b"
with a small sectional area. Both or either of these cross members
are secured to the inside face of the inner crush box 6'.
Further, as a variation of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1a,
substituting for the rear arch beam member 7, the rear arch holder
9a or the rear arch beam member 7' may be constituted so as to
support the crash box 6 from inside.
Further, as a further variation of the first embodiment, the rear
arch beam member 7 may be provided so as to support the inner crash
box 6' from inside.
In summary, the present invention is characterized by the crash box
connecting to the side sill and the rear wheel arch. Further, in
the second embodiment, the inner crash box is provided in addition
to the above crash box on the inside face of the crash box. When
the side impact is applied to the rear side face of the vehicle,
the side sill portion and the rear wheel arch portion are prevented
from intruding into the rear compartment by the energy absorption
of these crash boxes.
While the presently preferred embodiments of the present invention
have been shown and described, it is to be understood that these
disclosures are for the purpose of illustration and that various
changes and modifications may be made without departing from the
scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
* * * * *